3.14 and other life tidbits

By Tamika Whitenack

Whew! It's been a while since I last posted, I have been so busy!! I know I said I'd write about my falling asleep thoughts, but I feel like I need to catch you up on my life stuff. So sleep thoughts postponed! They're coming, I promise.

Last time I posted was FEBRUARY, almost 2 whole weeks ago. Since then, I've been very busy. I kind of cannot remember exactly what I've been up to, so I'll work backwards.

Yesterday, Wednesday, was a crazy snow storm day! It wasn't terribly cold or windy, but it was constantly snowing for the majority of the day, which resulted in a beautiful white wonderland (pics below). I also had the majority of my classes/music commitments cancelled, so the only thing I HAD to do yesterday was 50 minutes of Spanish. I also wrote my sociology mid-term and spent an impressive 6 STRAIGHT HOURS in the dining hall....from 3:45-9:45. This was cranking out my rough draft environmental studies essay, with a dinner break incorporated in there somehow too. The essay isn't actually due until March 29 but...I don't want to have to worry about it over spring break!

On Tuesday, I did absolutely no work. Why? I was feeling lazy and unproductive. No! Miya was here!!!! So all my time not in class was spent basking in her presence. It was a beautiful, sunny, somewhat warm day on Tuesday, so we tried to take advantage of that a bit. We went on a nice run through campus and the farm in the morning, and then to Crafted Kup (imagine the college-version of Well Grounded) for breakfast (bagel for me, smoothie and pastry for Miya). Then I had Spanish but after that we did some cookingggg in the Raymond kitchen and made a quite delicious curry, which we ate outside in the sun! I was wearing a t-shirt! Wowow. Then we did a bit more campus touring, followed by me being in Bio lab for a while (this was such a strange lab I basically just watched beetle sex that was not exactly consensual for a long time?) and then when I emerged from the insect-viewing party we did a wee bit more touring before heading to the Deece for dinner. I made a panini and the night before I'd made a stir-fry, so I think now Miya has a sense of my eating habits here. I had wind ensemble in the evening, but after that we did some late night baking and produced yogurt berry muffins, hurrah!

Miya arrived on campus Monday night, so I spent most of Monday trying to get as much work done as possible in anticipation of her arrival. I also would like to detail her arrival because I think it's cute. Basically, I was receiving updates on her status throughout her journey down here and then she texted me that she was here on campus so I went down to get her....as I approached Main Circle, I saw someone vaguely Miya-shaped with baggage and I texted "I think I see you" and as I approached closer we both confirmed that we were in fact seeing each other so we ran towards each other and had a nice big hug!! The feeling of joy that makes you run to someone because you're happy they exist is beautiful and I am glad to have people in my life like that. I really am so grateful that I got to see and spend time with Miya, even if she had a nightmare ordeal getting back to Montreal, given yesterday's snow. Basically, this section of the post is just meant to be a heartfelt appreciation for true friendships and a smile for the value of time that is shared with those you love. We did not do anything remarkable or exciting during her time here, but I think we were both so happy just to be around each other that we didn't need grand adventures. I invite you all to come visit me! We'll have a lovely time.

This past weekend was eventful, starting with a crazy snowstorm on Friday (we've had more snow in the first week of March than the rest of winter....or at least that's how it feels!). This storm was also not terribly cold, but it was superrrrr windy and that made it cold and dangerous! I literally saw a giant (like taller than buildings) tree fall over from my window, it was extremely windy!! Because of these weather conditions, I spent a lot of time in my room drinking tea.
We were supposed to leave for ECAASU, the East Coast Asian American Student's Union conference on Friday, but the snowy conditions put a hinder on this...so we left for Cornell on Saturday morning and arrived to the conference at lunch time. It was a scenic drive up, hurrah for snowy trees. The conference itself consisted of workshops, some networking, and a very long closing ceremony featuring various Asian American speakers and performers. We headed back to Vassar on Sunday, so it wasn't that long of a trip, but it was very nice to get off campus and to spend time with Asian American people from Vassar.

Last week...do I even remember anything that happened? I made vegan chocolate chip cookies on Thursday night whilst talking on the phone with Grandma, that was fun. On Monday, I received a care package from Bachan and it really made my day!! I have tried the lotus root chips and appreciate them, and plan to use the other goodies soon. Hurrah!

There were probably other notable-ish things that happened that week, but I honestly can't remember...February, a whole month ago! It's March now, y'all.

Wrapping back to today, March 8, 2018. I'd say it's a pretty significant day in my college career because I BAKED MY FIRST COLLEGE PIE! It's apple pie and it's vegan because I used oil and almond milk for the crust.

Tomorrow I leave for the farm, which is my big spring break adventure! You'll hear plenty about it in the future, but I'm planning to be as screen-free as possible the next two weeks, so I guess this is good-bye? For the time being...

But not without a slew of photos first!!